James Buchanan April 23, 1791 – June 1, 1868 Political Party: Democrat Party Terms in Office: (One Terms) March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1861 Vice President: John Cabell Breckinridge Theme:Globalization
During James Buchanan’s presidency he did not do much to help the foreign affairs of America become stronger. Buchanan defied the British on several topics hurting the American-British relationship. America held control in some of Central America, which the British liked because America could increase the productivity rates expanding the markets there for the British. But the British were trying to stop African slave trade and this put a strain on the American-British relationship. Another little dispute broke out between the British and the Americans in 1859; there was a small battle over the San Juan Island, and the Americans won. All these events and issues weakened the relationship between the British and Americans while Buchanan was in office.
Buchanan also tried to solve some issues that were taking place in Mexico, but the Senate and Congress would never approve his Bills he wanted passed. He tried to pass many Bills dealing with Mexico; such as, putting a temporary protective military over northern Mexico. Congress refused to pass this but Buchanan wanted the protective military there to ensure the safety of Americans, whose lives and property were being stolen during the Mexican Civil Wars. Buchanan tried to get the approval of the Congress and Senate to allow the U.S. Military to invade Mexico. This would have obtained security for American people for their future, but his request was denied. His requests were also denied when he wanted to purchase Cuba. Even though Buchanan did not do much for improving America’s foreign relations it was not just him alone who ruined these relationships. He did try to help improve Mexico and America’s relationship but Congress shot all his proposed Bills down.
Introduction:
James Buchanan was just an average president who deserves the grade of a C for his overall presidency. He really did nothing to help better America or help its people, during most of his presidency he just sat back and watched America fall into a deep depression, and split in two. But also Buchanan was blocked to do some of what he wanted to do by the Congress, since they had a horrible relationship. On the plus side though, Buchanan did try to help America by admitting Kansas as a State, he even fought very hard against Congress to make this happen. But that was the only real positive that came out of Buchanan’s presidency. He dose receive credit though for the fact that trying to hold the Union together would have been really hard. Buchanan could have tried to step in to stop the secession of the South but it could have just turned into the Civil War right then, instead of happening when Lincoln was in office. Therefore Buchanan deserves a C because he did have to deal with some tricky situations as president, but he should have done more for his country and at least tried to solve America’s problems.
Goals:
As the fifteenth president of the United States Buchanan’s main goal was to get Kansas admitted to the nation. Even though it took Buchanan his entire term to do so, Kansas admitted to the nation, and he did accomplish his goal. In Kansas there was a law that popular sovereignty ruled if the state was proslavery or antislavery. The government in Kansas created the Lecompton Constitution, which they thought would please everyone. The Lecompton Constitution was an attempt to get admitted into the United States, but this constitution made Kansas a slave state. Buchanan wanted to admit Kansas on these terms, even though he thought slavery was morally wrong, but Stephen Douglas did not agree to these terms. Douglas was a Democratic Senator opposed to slavery and made the Senate reject Kansas’s Constitution because everyone (the people of Kansas) did not vote on the whole Constitution, and approve it. A referendum for the Lecompton Constitution was then held, and it was rejected, but Buchanan insisted, and Congress ordered a second referendum, to reject the Constitution yet again. This then gave the abolitionists in Kansas a chance to speak up and finally Kansas was added as a state, but it was a free state, not a slave state like originally planned by the Lecompton Constitution. Buchanan was just happy to have Kansas as a state at all, but since it became a free state he was even happier.
Congress:
Buchanan is perceived to be a horrible president who did nothing for the country, and while he did not do much for the country some of it was not just his fault. The Congress and Buchanan were not on the same page at all, they both wanted totally different things, and this proved to be a problem when Buchanan wanted to pass Bills or laws and Congress rejected them. During Buchanan’s presidency the Congress had a majority of Democrats, but even though the president and the Congress were both under the same party they still disagreed on many topics. The reason the Congress and Buchanan did not get alone well was because the Democrat party was going through a tense period, which leads up to the split of the Democratic Party in 1860. The Democrat party split in 1860 between the northern Democrats who were more liberal, usually opposed slavery, and the southerner Democrats were for slavery, and wanted to extend it into other territories. So even though Congress and Buchanan shared a common party there was internal party issues that caused the Congress and Buchanan to have very different views, and not get along.
Pros/Cons:
Sadly there was not really anything that good that James Buchanan did for America during his presidency, he tended to just sit back and let things happen. Probably the only somewhat good thing that Buchanan did as president was push for the admission of Kansas into the Union. Since Congress and Buchanan did not get along well Congress would not agree with Buchanan that Kansas should be a state of America and therefore rejected their admission into America several times. But finally after Buchanan fought for Kansas to be admitted, their Constitution was approved and in 1861 Kansas became a state of America. Buchanan felt Constitutionally bound to uphold the idea of Kansas becoming a state even if it was a slave state, this was the only thing Buchanan truly fought for in his presidency, everything else he just let happen, and sat back and watched.
The main bad thing Buchanan does, as president, was he just sat back and let things happen, hoping they would work out on their own, he did not help control how the nation functioned. Two examples of Buchanan not helping the nation are the Panic of 1857 and the secession of the Southern States. The Panic of 1857 was caused by the crash of the Ohio Life Insurance Company of Cincinnati. This crash caused bank runs throughout the country, which sent the nation into an economic depression that lasted until the Civil War. The depression was caused by overexpansion on railroads, growth of state banks, Europe cutting back on US food imports (due to the end of the Crimean War), and the drop of the price of gold. The Panic of 1857 really hit the North and West hard, but did not affect the South much at all, due to a high demand in cotton in Europe. As this panic went on in America Buchanan did nothing to help the citizens of America, or to improve the depression in the nation. Another time Buchanan did not help America was during the secession of the Southern States. Abraham Lincoln was elected president in the following election, but he would not start his term for a few months while Buchanan finished out his term. When the South found out Lincoln was elected the sixteenth president they decided to secede from the Union. Buchanan’s position on the South succeeding was that it was illegal for a state to secede from the Union, but the federal government had no authority to force the states to remain in the Union. Also Buchanan did not want to try and force the South to stay with the Union because this could have caused more tension, and caused the Civil War to erupt even earlier. Even though Buchanan should have stepped in to try and save the Union, it was hard because he did not want to cause a war or upset anyone. The Secession of the south, for that reason, probably wasn’t a horrible thing for Buchanan to do considering he did not have very many choices.
Future Impact:
Even though Buchanan did very little as president the one thing he did that impacted America’s future was letting the South Secede from the Union. Since Buchanan did not do anything to enforce the South to stay united with the rest of the Union they just left freely. This helped the nation, but also hurt them. If Buchanan would have forced the South to stay one with the Union there could have been more rebellion from the South, or the Civil war could have started. But since the Secession of the South was not stopped it forced Lincoln to have to deal with the issues of handling the rebellious Southern states. If Buchanan would have handled the South himself, and prevented the south from succeeding, without a war, Lincoln may not have had such a hard job as president. Buchanan’s decision on letting the South break away without a fight led America’s future down a certain path, but if he would have choose something different, to do with the South, America could have been totally different.
America after Buchanan’s Presidency:
After Buchanan’s presidency America was slightly worse off then before his presidency. During his presidency there were a lot of inter-union issues because of the very contrasting morals of the people. Buchanan deserves a C for his presidency because he could have intervened more with the people to prevent such bloody battles, and fights over the different views of the people. It would have been hard though to be in Buchanan’s shoes because you would need to handle the delicate situation gently as not to cause a war or offend anyone. The secession of the South probably would have happened during anyone’s presidency, but he could have tried to hold the country together a little better. Also in the Panic of 1857 he should have stepped in to save America from entering an economic depression. Therefore overall, Buchanan left America worse off then he could have, and should have done more as president to help America.
Works Citied:
DeGregorio, William. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents seventh edition . New Jersey: Barricade Books Inc., 2009. Print.
April 23, 1791 – June 1, 1868
Political Party: Democrat Party
Terms in Office: (One Terms) March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1861
Vice President: John Cabell Breckinridge
Theme: Globalization
During James Buchanan’s presidency he did not do much to help the foreign affairs of America become stronger. Buchanan defied the British on several topics hurting the American-British relationship. America held control in some of Central America, which the British liked because America could increase the productivity rates expanding the markets there for the British. But the British were trying to stop African slave trade and this put a strain on the American-British relationship. Another little dispute broke out between the British and the Americans in 1859; there was a small battle over the San Juan Island, and the Americans won. All these events and issues weakened the relationship between the British and Americans while Buchanan was in office.
Buchanan also tried to solve some issues that were taking place in Mexico, but the Senate and Congress would never approve his Bills he wanted passed. He tried to pass many Bills dealing with Mexico; such as, putting a temporary protective military over northern Mexico. Congress refused to pass this but Buchanan wanted the protective military there to ensure the safety of Americans, whose lives and property were being stolen during the Mexican Civil Wars. Buchanan tried to get the approval of the Congress and Senate to allow the U.S. Military to invade Mexico. This would have obtained security for American people for their future, but his request was denied. His requests were also denied when he wanted to purchase Cuba. Even though Buchanan did not do much for improving America’s foreign relations it was not just him alone who ruined these relationships. He did try to help improve Mexico and America’s relationship but Congress shot all his proposed Bills down.
Introduction:
James Buchanan was just an average president who deserves the grade of a C for his overall presidency. He really did nothing to help better America or help its people, during most of his presidency he just sat back and watched America fall into a deep depression, and split in two. But also Buchanan was blocked to do some of what he wanted to do by the Congress, since they had a horrible relationship. On the plus side though, Buchanan did try to help America by admitting Kansas as a State, he even fought very hard against Congress to make this happen. But that was the only real positive that came out of Buchanan’s presidency. He dose receive credit though for the fact that trying to hold the Union together would have been really hard. Buchanan could have tried to step in to stop the secession of the South but it could have just turned into the Civil War right then, instead of happening when Lincoln was in office. Therefore Buchanan deserves a C because he did have to deal with some tricky situations as president, but he should have done more for his country and at least tried to solve America’s problems.
Goals:
As the fifteenth president of the United States Buchanan’s main goal was to get Kansas admitted to the nation. Even though it took Buchanan his entire term to do so, Kansas admitted to the nation, and he did accomplish his goal. In Kansas there was a law that popular sovereignty ruled if the state was proslavery or antislavery. The government in Kansas created the Lecompton Constitution, which they thought would please everyone. The Lecompton Constitution was an attempt to get admitted into the United States, but this constitution made Kansas a slave state. Buchanan wanted to admit Kansas on these terms, even though he thought slavery was morally wrong, but Stephen Douglas did not agree to these terms. Douglas was a Democratic Senator opposed to slavery and made the Senate reject Kansas’s Constitution because everyone (the people of Kansas) did not vote on the whole Constitution, and approve it. A referendum for the Lecompton Constitution was then held, and it was rejected, but Buchanan insisted, and Congress ordered a second referendum, to reject the Constitution yet again. This then gave the abolitionists in Kansas a chance to speak up and finally Kansas was added as a state, but it was a free state, not a slave state like originally planned by the Lecompton Constitution. Buchanan was just happy to have Kansas as a state at all, but since it became a free state he was even happier.
Congress:
Buchanan is perceived to be a horrible president who did nothing for the country, and while he did not do much for the country some of it was not just his fault. The Congress and Buchanan were not on the same page at all, they both wanted totally different things, and this proved to be a problem when Buchanan wanted to pass Bills or laws and Congress rejected them. During Buchanan’s presidency the Congress had a majority of Democrats, but even though the president and the Congress were both under the same party they still disagreed on many topics. The reason the Congress and Buchanan did not get alone well was because the Democrat party was going through a tense period, which leads up to the split of the Democratic Party in 1860. The Democrat party split in 1860 between the northern Democrats who were more liberal, usually opposed slavery, and the southerner Democrats were for slavery, and wanted to extend it into other territories. So even though Congress and Buchanan shared a common party there was internal party issues that caused the Congress and Buchanan to have very different views, and not get along.
Pros/Cons:
Sadly there was not really anything that good that James Buchanan did for America during his presidency, he tended to just sit back and let things happen. Probably the only somewhat good thing that Buchanan did as president was push for the admission of Kansas into the Union. Since Congress and Buchanan did not get along well Congress would not agree with Buchanan that Kansas should be a state of America and therefore rejected their admission into America several times. But finally after Buchanan fought for Kansas to be admitted, their Constitution was approved and in 1861 Kansas became a state of America. Buchanan felt Constitutionally bound to uphold the idea of Kansas becoming a state even if it was a slave state, this was the only thing Buchanan truly fought for in his presidency, everything else he just let happen, and sat back and watched.
The main bad thing Buchanan does, as president, was he just sat back and let things happen, hoping they would work out on their own, he did not help control how the nation functioned. Two examples of Buchanan not helping the nation are the Panic of 1857 and the secession of the Southern States. The Panic of 1857 was caused by the crash of the Ohio Life Insurance Company of Cincinnati. This crash caused bank runs throughout the country, which sent the nation into an economic depression that lasted until the Civil War. The depression was caused by overexpansion on railroads, growth of state banks, Europe cutting back on US food imports (due to the end of the Crimean War), and the drop of the price of gold. The Panic of 1857 really hit the North and West hard, but did not affect the South much at all, due to a high demand in cotton in Europe. As this panic went on in America Buchanan did nothing to help the citizens of America, or to improve the depression in the nation. Another time Buchanan did not help America was during the secession of the Southern States. Abraham Lincoln was elected president in the following election, but he would not start his term for a few months while Buchanan finished out his term. When the South found out Lincoln was elected the sixteenth president they decided to secede from the Union. Buchanan’s position on the South succeeding was that it was illegal for a state to secede from the Union, but the federal government had no authority to force the states to remain in the Union. Also Buchanan did not want to try and force the South to stay with the Union because this could have caused more tension, and caused the Civil War to erupt even earlier. Even though Buchanan should have stepped in to try and save the Union, it was hard because he did not want to cause a war or upset anyone. The Secession of the south, for that reason, probably wasn’t a horrible thing for Buchanan to do considering he did not have very many choices.
Future Impact:
Even though Buchanan did very little as president the one thing he did that impacted America’s future was letting the South Secede from the Union. Since Buchanan did not do anything to enforce the South to stay united with the rest of the Union they just left freely. This helped the nation, but also hurt them. If Buchanan would have forced the South to stay one with the Union there could have been more rebellion from the South, or the Civil war could have started. But since the Secession of the South was not stopped it forced Lincoln to have to deal with the issues of handling the rebellious Southern states. If Buchanan would have handled the South himself, and prevented the south from succeeding, without a war, Lincoln may not have had such a hard job as president. Buchanan’s decision on letting the South break away without a fight led America’s future down a certain path, but if he would have choose something different, to do with the South, America could have been totally different.
America after Buchanan’s Presidency:
After Buchanan’s presidency America was slightly worse off then before his presidency. During his presidency there were a lot of inter-union issues because of the very contrasting morals of the people. Buchanan deserves a C for his presidency because he could have intervened more with the people to prevent such bloody battles, and fights over the different views of the people. It would have been hard though to be in Buchanan’s shoes because you would need to handle the delicate situation gently as not to cause a war or offend anyone. The secession of the South probably would have happened during anyone’s presidency, but he could have tried to hold the country together a little better. Also in the Panic of 1857 he should have stepped in to save America from entering an economic depression. Therefore overall, Buchanan left America worse off then he could have, and should have done more as president to help America.
Works Citied:
DeGregorio, William. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents seventh edition . New Jersey: Barricade Books Inc., 2009. Print.
"Foreign policy: the imperialist - James Buchanan - war." Presidents: A Reference History. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.presidentprofiles.com/Washington-Johnson/James-Buchanan-Foreign-policy-the-imperialist.html >.
"James Buchanan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Buchanan>.